T series after the discontinuation of the TT

Because of the appealing and very handy design and formfactor of the T series and its powerful capacities (also the optical drive) despite its small size, I will launch this new thread to generate the enthusiasts' wishlist for the next model in line, which will hopefully appear during the fall. The pure beauty of the T series is IMO in addition a reason of its own to beg Sony to carry on the T series.

First of all, I will hope that the screen size will remain the same (11,1) and that we get back again the good screens of the TX and TZ models. The keyboard layout should NOT repeat the faulty keyboards of the P and W series with regard to the the location and size of the right shift key and the location of the arrow keys. The next T model should carry on with the very good layout especially for these important keys, as the keyboards of the TX, TZ and TT have been great also in these aspects.

I also hope that a backlit keyboard will come, and that the contrast between the keys themselves and the letters/icons on them will be strong enough so that the user sees them clearly, also when the keyboard is non-backlit.

Finally, I hope Sony still will make many color options, also to the European marked.

It would be nice if many of the Forum's users could carry this thread on...

 

I have only heard of it being discontinued in North America. Will it be discontinued worldwide?

The reason it was discontinued was because of the recent economic recession and the rising popularity of netbooks and now cheap ultraportables. The cheapest Vaio TT here in the U.S sold for at least $2000.

But now, there is a new ultraportable by Acer called the Timeline 1810/1410 with a Core Solo processor, same resolution screen, same chipset and graphics, HDMI out, 6+ hour battery though no optical drive for only $450. A dual-core model will also come soon and its price will still be a fraction of a Vaio TT. I am thinking of buying a dual-core model myself soon.

I had heard that Sony will focus more on their new W netbook series. I think they may be in trouble because their T series was one of the best ultraportables around and people bought them even with their high price. But now with netbooks and ultraportables having almost the same features but much cheaper than a Vaio TT, the choice is clear.

I personally found the TT to be one of the worse models in the T series, I hated the ugly "chome" sides and mouse buttons, the TZ series looked much better, what were they thinking? I was also disappointed at them removing the "Instant Mode" buttons and software from the machine.

If Sony makes a new T series model, it will have to retail for less than $1000, but Sony will refuse to do that. They pride themselves on making stylish, expensive notebooks. They had said they will focus more on their new W netbook series, but I dislike the weak Atom processor.

Sony needs to realize the ultraportable market has become much more crowded and competitive, it is no longer a niche market, so they will have to make some big changes to be successful if they decide to come back.

 

Rahul wrote: "I personally found the TT to be one of the worse models in the T series, I hated the ugly "chome" sides and mouse buttons, the TZ series looked much better, what were they thinking? I was also disappointed at them removing the "Instant Mode" buttons and software from the machine."

I really agree, and I see your reasonable (and probably correct) understanding of why the T series most proabably has come to an end, even worldwide, but I am not sure about this.

The TT was in the above mentioned aspects a disappointment, but still I hope Sony can design a better litter wonder than the W series: The W series' keyboard is "one from hell".

If Sony makes changes in the keyboard layout for the P and W series, much will be gained. (The TX, TZ and TT keyboard layout is a very good model for future models, also in the P and W series.)

 

Nehalem chipset
USB 3.0
Backlit keyboard
Ability to replace hard drives with dual SSDs on your own without voiding the warranty
2MP or more webcam with mic
6 hour minimum battery life under heavy use

 

The main issue with Sony is that I feel their laptops are truly overpriced, that you are spending too much and not getting enough. Maybe in the past they had laptops worth paying a premium for but it doesn't seem that way anymore.

Unfortunately, I do not have such a positive view of Sony as I did in the past, but many I know still have a good impression of Sony, of high quality and prestige and the opposite view of Acer. However, I am increasingly getting a better view of Acer and their new Acer 1410T has my interest.

Even if they focus on the Vaio W now to replace the TT, they are still in trouble. Look at the Vaio W vs. the Acer 1410T.


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...VPC-W&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1218101783985

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-A...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1251225448&sr=8-2

The Vaio has a 10.1" 1366x768 screen, 1.66ghz Atom processor, 160gb HDD, 1gb ram, GMA 950 graphics, up to 3 hours of battery life, 2 USB ports, Windows XP, VGA out for $499.

The Acer has a 11.6" 1366x768 screen, 1.4ghz Core Solo processor, 250gb HDD, 2gb ram, 4500MHD graphics, up to 6 hours of battery life, 3 USB ports, Windows Vista and free upgrade to Windows 7, VGA and HDMI out for $50 less!

Why would I buy the Vaio?

 

Rahul, I can really see your points in the post above. The blue Acer 1410T may be a very interesting machine to take a closer look at. And I can see from the pictures that it also has a keyboard layout that I (and many writers) prefer. In addition, it also looks elegant and nice. So I understand your last question.

 

One more wish: Sony, please also make models with a Nordic keyboard for the next model in the T series. In my experience, Acer, Samsung and many other brands make this possible by simply adding the Norwegian, Swedish and Danish special letters where they belong on the keyboard. No problem.

 

Actually, I like the TZ over the TT. I agree, it was a bad mistake taking out the AV mode for me (being a business / media nut). The TT does look worse than the TZ, and doesn't do too well with Vista (likewise with TZ).

If I were to come up with a wishlist...

-Same LED LCD 11.1' screen
-VIA CPU (with nVidia intergrated, like the Asus N10 - maybe a hybrid like the N10???). NO ATOMS PLEASE - HATE THEIR SPEEDS, EVEN WITH XP
-64GB - 128GB SSD (those will drop in price quite soon, so I guess that will be a decent option)
-2GB RAM minimum
-2x USB ports minimum
-The usual mem card slots
-The cylinderical design - why don't Sony's cheaper ones have that design??
-AV mode
-Optics drive (like the new Asus EEE series, that comes with a DVD-RW drive)

And try selling that for about US$700, and I will be happy

 

... and be a Sony and be of superior quality and be made in Japan, etc. And I want a Ferrari for $40k.

 

I'll have to disagree re the TT, I have one and I've been happy with it. I don't see why everyone thinks it was ugly and a disappointment. I use it as my main computer most of the time, through a dock, and it handles most of what I throw at it quite well.

But I do agree that I probably would think twice about getting one today when much cheaper alternatives are about to hit the market...

 

Im quite satisfied with my TT36. Although it maybe lacking an SSD or whatever. It still runs okay.. on Vista surprisingly.

Again fully agreed that there are many choices out in the market or will be hitting the market shortly, there will be less justification to buy a Vaio TT.

 

Interesting: Sony TT is no longer listed on Sonystyle.nl, but TZ is. Starting at € 899,- and available soon.

 

I think everyone's made good points. I think my history aruond here is well known and my need/love for ultraportables. THe ultraportable market has ironically grown via the netbooks, so Sony having a premium offering isn't a bad idea. Howevere, where does a T line fit in with the P, W, and Z? Sony's already got a crowded lineup. I've always maintained that in terms of cost/size/power ratio, the Z is close to the T and much better value for the money.

What I'd love to see Sony do is truly introduce a premium ultraportable using the LV (not ULV) chipset a la the HP p2530 or some of the IBMs. That could have a place in the lineup since it will be faster than a ULV and just under performance wise from the Z. It would also give them great battery life, too (which they generally have anyway).

Either that, or Sony needs to bring back something akin to the X series - they need a game changer.

I do believe Sony will offer the T series - I can't remember a time in recent memory they haven't had a T. I just don't think it may come here, like the G.

I'll be honest as someone who has given Sony quite a bit of money (granted it was direct to Japan since I imported every one of my Sonys for the past 5 or so years) - since getting my Toshiba R600 I haven't been tempted by any of Sony's offerings. I will probably also sell my Z, but I did enable VT on it so right now it's a backup. I don't miss the Z.

The R600 was a premium price, but between the 12.1" screen and the 512GB SSD, it's not your average notebook. I wish they offered a 9 cell battery like the G, but I can finally run everything I need to as well as not have to carry an external drive.

 

Isn't the R600 using the SU line cpu and the intel 4500hd gpu? Then if you do need more power the Z is the better option.

I really like the TT, and glad I was able to get one for a nice price, but I wish it had either a better gpu, like may the ATI 4330 you seeing now on many Core 2 Solo devices or the intel SL line cpu to differentiate it a bit over other devices with the SU line. Granted they are using the lower end models but still. A MBA rival would be interesting but considering the Vaio Z weighs the same as the MBA one could technically call it a MBA rival.

BTW what is the difference between the SU9x00 line and the SU7800?

 

My R600 has the U9400 (1.4GHz) with 5GB of memory. It uses the Intel 4500MHD for graphics (as does the Z in stamina mode).

As someone who has the Z with the RAID 0 and the R600 with the 512GB SSD, I can tell you that even with running 4 or 5 virtual machines with VMware, the speed difference is virtually nothing. The 512GB SSD is a big differentiator. Toshiba got the I/O right and the overall design right on the R600.

The Z really doesn't offer more power other than a higher processor speed, but the R600 compensates in other ways to make it about equal. I've posted numbers here on the I/O and general speed, and they don't lie.

I dual boot my R600 with Windows Server 2008 R2 to run Hyper-V as well as with Windows 7.

 

I've supported the tt series, the tz series and the z' as well as a smattering of other small portables such as the r600 toshiba.

For my money i went with a tt. This was after initially buying a Z series which turned out to be a bad unit.

The TT is my most used computer and it's the combination of screen, size and battery life. Yes i know that the Z doesn't seem that much bigger but in reality it is a noticeable difference. The TT is about the size of a typical hardback book. The Z is bigger than that.

I hope the TT series is not truly at an end. However a more capable W series might have interest: keep the screen but give me more than an atom processor ,add back at least an option for an optical drive and make the build quality comparable and I'd be interested. The current w's aren't it.

Except for some that have had issues with the trackpad, i'd be willing to bet that most that buy the TT's or TZ's tend to hold on to them. The guy that does our Sony repair thinks so as well. People tend to get them repaired even when they are older or out of date more than other sony models.

 

desertlap wrote: "(...) I know that the Z doesn't seem that much bigger but in reality it is a noticeable difference. The TT is about the size of a typical hardback book. The Z is bigger than that."

I agree: Also in my opinion and from daily experience this is in fact a very important difference regarding size and portability. IMO the limit of being a true "ultra-portable" (or what to call it) is reached with the T series, so therefore this is one of the reasons why that I really hope that Sony will continue making it. So small, yet big enough to have a good keyboard and even an optical drive.

 

It is tough to imagine something smaller than the T series notebooks...the first time I saw a TT I thought there was no way an optical drive was crammed into that thing.

 

Something that was lost on a lot of people is that the size/weight difference are even more dramatic when you consider the extra battery life -- i.e. if you'll regularly be using your laptop on battery power for more than 4 hrs, you need to compare the size/weight of a Z with an extended battery (or two batteries) to a TT with a single battery.

 

Sorry, dont know if anybody said this before, I dont have time to read it throw, but TT will no longer be in the future, this models are probably the last outthere...at least "new"..I am sure there will be some crazy sales afterwards, like 1000$ for TT, when they will clear warehouses...

check model X, that should be next TT, thou i dont think it will be good enough. But on the other hand.. Z only weights 0.3 more than TT, so its clear choice over TT.

 

Sadly I don't think there will be any more 11in business models any more since the creation of netbooks and the newer models with the CULV. You might get lucky and find an 11in device with a dual core cpu and optical drive that is low priced, but I doubt it since, most netbooks don't have an optical drive. I maybe wrong but the TT is the only one in its class(of 11in business machines) use the latest intel cpu and gpu.

I guess we have to wait and see what Lenovo and Sony plan to bring out for that market.

 

This killer features for me (with my TZ) are the size/weight, they're just about right. And the dual disk setup. I have the 64GB SSD and a 500GB HDD. I need a lot of disk space. I have an external CD/DVD drive that is used once in a blue moon.

I'd be happy to get the bigger Z, to gain the extra speed and memory, but alas, no dual HDD option :-(
Please Sony, add this option!!!

 

The TZ series was awesome. One thing I do wish is that they bring back the powered i.link port so I can use my Sony external firewire drives... and it should be easy to get in white... in America.